Cradle for bass viols or other stringed instruments



7, 1943- w. c. STENGE'R 2,455,821

CRADLE FOR BASS VIOLS OR OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed April 5, 1947- Patented Dec. 7, 1948 CRADLE FOR BASS VIOLS OR OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Willeba'ld Conrad Stenger, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 5, 1947, Scrial'No. 739,621

2 Claims.

invention relates to supports for instruments-of the bass viol type for safeguarding them against breakage and damage when not in actual use.

- The invention is particularly directed to proriding a support of this kind which conserves floorspace and minimizes damage to and deterioration of the instrument resulting from rough or careless handling thereof.

[important objects of the invention are to provide means for supporting bass viols or other instruments of that general'type in a sufiiciently elevated position to allow freedom in cleaning the floor without the necessity of moving the instruments from place to place; to provide such support which is of such design as to cause a person to"exercise some degree of care in placing the instrument on the support and thus minimize the chance of damage to the instrument due to carelessness 'in such placement; to provide a support of this kind having such relation to the form of the instrument that the same will be cradled so as to yield under accidental contact with external objects and will be caused to gravitate to a position of stable equilibrium on the support; to provide a rack of this kind whereon the instrument has contact with thesupporting struc ture only at points designed to support it and wherebyitsdelicate parts are held free fromcontact with theframe; and to provide a support of this-kind in which a plurality of the instruments can be assembled in compactly stacked relation to each other so as to occupy a minimum of space without danger of the bodies of the instruments coming into contact with each other or of injuriously striking against the framework of the support.

Bass viols and instruments of that class usually comprise a hollow body or sound box I constructed of thin sheets of wood, or like material, with an end pin 2 at its lower end upon which the instrument rests when in its normal position of use and with an elongated neck 3 at its upper end which is inclined backwardly from the general plane of the front of the instrument. This neck supports a head 4 at its upper end which comprises, in the traditional design, a scroll 5 and a peg box 6.

The strings I of the instrument are stretched from a tail piece 8 over a high bridge 9 located in about the middle of the front face of the body, then over a low bridge Ii) at the head end of the neck and are then wound on individual pegs I! in the peg box. These pegs are operated through worm gearing, not shown, by keys 12.

Two specific embodiments of this invention are Iii Z illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, in addition to showing the structural features .of the invention, also show their relation to the structural features of the instrument.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the device is shown in the form ofa rack or stand for supporting three bass viols in closely stacked relation to each othenthe view being aside elevation.

" Fig. 2 is a similar'side elevation of the same without the instruments.

Fig. 3 is a top plan of the same.

Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a side elevation and front elevation of a modified form of the instrument designed for attachment to a wall.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the headrest taken on the line 6-6 of Figs. 2 and 5, and showing the relation of the scroll of the instrument thereto when the instrument is in position thereon.

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the headrest as viewed from the right of Fig. 6.

Fig. '8isa top view of the headrest showing in detail a preferred contour of the opposed faces of the side members of the headrest for guiding the head of the instrument into its seat in the headrest and guarding against accidental displacement thereof.

In the "form shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the device comprises an upright 13 in the form of a vertical :post supportedon a base that comprises three radiating arms l4, spaced at equal angles to each otheraaround the axis of the upright it. The outerends of the arms are formed to provide pedestals l5 to rest on a floor. Cup-shaped formations I6 on the top of the ends of the arms l4 provide pin-seats H for the end pins 2 of the instruments.

Adjacent the upper end of the upright l3 are a group of headrests 18 corresponding in number to the arms 14 and individually located symmetrically with respect to a central vertical plane of reference defined by the axis of the post l3 and the center of the pin-seat I! on the respective arm l4.

Each headrest I8 comprises a vertically elongated abutment 19 of channel form whose bottom serves as surface for the scroll 5 of the instru ment to rest against as in Fig. 6 and side shoulders 20 which confine the scroll against lateral displacement. The side members 2| of the headrest have their opposed inner faces shaped so as to provide the inner shoulders 20, outer shoulders 22 and intermediate converging guide surfaces 23. This structure serves to guide proper relation to the headrest without danger of damaging it, and without requiring special care in its placement.

In the form shown in Figures 4 and 5, the upright is in the form of a flat strip 24 which is adapted to be secured to or hung on a wall but the pin-seat and headrest of this device are identical with those of the device shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 4 shows, in side elevation, the relative positions of the pin-seat I7 and the headrest ill with respect to the upright and to each other; and shows the relationship of the instrument in its position of rest with respect to the supporting structure. It is apparent from this view that when the scroll is seated in the headrest, as indicated in Fig. 6, and the end pin 2 is seated in the pin-seat I1, that the center of gravity of the instrument will be considerably below and inward of a straight line of reference connecting the end pin and the face of the scroll, which are the only points of contact of the instrument with the supporting structure.

Inasmuch as the body of the instrument is symmetrical with respect to a central plane of reference through its end pin and scroll, gravity will always bring the instrument to rest in the position in which it is shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The abutment iii and the pin seat ii? are spaced outwardly from the axis of the upright l3 sufilciently far to insure that the instruments can at no place come into contact with each other when stacked in the manner in which they are shown in Fig. l, and the pin-seat ll is spaced outward from the headrest i8 sufficiently to establish an appropriate angle of repose for the instrument with its center of gravity well below the line between its points of support. After the end pin of the instrument isseated in the pin-seat [1, then no matter how carelessly the scroll may be dropped into the headrest, the instrument will be cradled so that it will always gravitate to the normal position of repose in which it is shown in the drawings.

This invention is particularly useful in the music halls of schools and other places where the instruments are likely to be used by different persons and where it is desirable to avoid the use of special enclosures for the individual instruments.

This description has been confined to one specific embodiment and a single slightly modified form of the invention but it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown and described may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the followin claims.

I claim:

1. A cradle for a musical instrument of the viol class, comprising an upright support, an arm attached to and extending laterally outward from said support and having an upwardly open pinseat spaced outwardly from said support, and a headrest on said support being spaced inward from and above said pin-seat and comprising a channeled seat having spaced side walls which in horizontal section have inner and outer opposed portions substantially at right angles to said support with opposed outwardly diverging intermediate portions with respect to a central vertical plane defined by said headrest and pin-seat, whereby such musical instrument may be supported in an inclined position with its end pin in said pin-seat and its scroll in said channeled seat.

2. A cradle for a musical instrument of the V101 class, comprising an upright support, an arm attached to and extending laterally outward from said support and having an upwardly open pinseat spaced outwardly from said support, and a headrest on said support being spaced inward from and above said pin-seat and comprising a. channeled seat having spaced side walls which in horizontal section have inner and outer opposed portions substantially at right angles to said support with opposed outwardly diverging intermediate portions with respect to a central vertical plane defined by said headrest and pin-seat, whereby such musical instrument may be supported in an inclined position with its end pin in said pin-seat and its scroll in said channeled seat, said inner portions of said channeled seat being spaced to receive the scroll and said outer portions being spaced and dimensioned to house and protect the peg box and keys of the instrument.

WILLEBALD CONRAD STENGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 108,625 Phelps Oct. 25, 1870 160,339 Ladd Mar. 2, 1875 1,973,188 Verderber Sept. 11, 1934 2,233,034 Roth Feb, 25, 1941 2,291,381 Drake July 28, 1942 

